[FTML]

With Snow Leopard only $30 dollars, it seems like a great time to make a hackintosh vm with virual box. However, I am concerned about the legality of creating a mac vm. I have gone on may sites such as http://lowendmac.com...h-legality.html and various forums but have been unable to find a definite answer for the situation. I was going to buy a copy of snow leopard(not torrent) from apple the use tonymac86's iboot to create a hackintosh. I just wanted to know the legality of this situation. So my question for right now is, "Are Hackintoshes Legal"

-FTML

[LiveBrianD]

It's not allowed according to Apple's EULA. However, what will they do about it? Besides, as long as you actually bought a copy, I think it's fair.

[waldojim]

Are there laws against using it that way? No.
Could Apple bring a civil suit against you for breaking the EULA? Yes.
Could they actually win that suit? Very good question, no one has an answer. The controversy around it lies with 'shrink wrap' EULAs that have been both upheld, and dismissed in court. Truth be told, I don't think Apple would bother suing you over such a thing. It is a huge waste of money for them.

[FTML]

waldojim, on 21 October 2011 - 08:57 PM, said:

Are there laws against using it that way? No.
Could Apple bring a civil suit against you for breaking the EULA? Yes.
Could they actually win that suit? Very good question, no one has an answer. The controversy around it lies with 'shrink wrap' EULAs that have been both upheld, and dismissed in court. Truth be told, I don't think Apple would bother suing you over such a thing. It is a huge waste of money for them.

Thanks, hopefully I'll be able to.

[coastie65]

It has been done in the past and I don't recall any reprecussions from doing so. You have Macs running Windows, so I would guess that all is fair. From Apple's standpoint, it would just mean the sale of another OS, whatever the cost.

[nonseq]

waldojim, on 21 October 2011 - 08:57 PM, said:

Are there laws against using it that way? No.
Could Apple bring a civil suit against you for breaking the EULA? Yes.
Could they actually win that suit? Very good question, no one has an answer. The controversy around it lies with 'shrink wrap' EULAs that have been both upheld, and dismissed in court. Truth be told, I don't think Apple would bother suing you over such a thing. It is a huge waste of money for them.

Spot on Jim. Apple hasn't really gone after end-users in regards to OSX and Hackinstosh.

[Evildave]

If it's fine to buy an Apple OS meant for upgrade and install it on a hackintosh, then it should be fair to buy an 'upgrade' version of windoze and install it without owning a previous version of windoze, too.

No, Apple aren't a bunch of lawsuit-happy deuchebags, and they won't prevent you from installing fresh with an upgrade edition, forcing you to jump through flaming hoops to get your computer running again, like Microsoft does. They also don't consider it to be a 'premium' feature to back up over the network, or to restore the whole OS from the network, either, nor do they sell ultra-gimped 'Editions' of their OS.

[LiveBrianD]

How will Apple even know if you make a Hackintosh? Besides, they've got better things to do than sue you over that.

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 22 October 2011 - 09:52 AM, said:

How will Apple even know if you make a Hackintosh? Besides, they've got better things to do than sue you over that.

They can figure it out pretty quick when OSX makes you log into Apples stuff online.

[Evildave]

They won't sue you, as I said. Not lawsuit-happy nitwits.

In fact, the one core issue with Hackintoshes is that updates don't test against them. So be sure to be careful how you update OS X once you manage to get it working, because it could STOP working at any time if you let the updates happen automatically.

Or, you know, just buy a Mac.

They're not that expensive.

If you buy quality hardware, it will be a little more expensive, no matter what brand. The software investment makes the hardware laughably cheap in comparison, anyway.

I mean, you are installing OS X to USE IT, right? If you're just farting around, just install Linux instead. It's free, there is no limitation on the licensing, and at least you can have all the other software for free. And most of that software runs under Windoze AND OS X, too.

If you're set on running OS X anyway, buy a quality computer to run it on, that will be guaranteed to work.
http://www.apple.com/mac/

You can even buy 'em second-hand. Though they're not that much cheaper than a new one for recent models. How many other computers have a 'resale value'? You can't even GIVE a used PC clone away.
http://www.google.co...shop&hl=en&aq=f

This post has been edited by coastie65: 22 October 2011 - 02:41 PM
Reason for edit: Changed offensive descripter.

[LiveBrianD]

waldojim, on 22 October 2011 - 10:27 AM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 22 October 2011 - 09:52 AM, said:

How will Apple even know if you make a Hackintosh? Besides, they've got better things to do than sue you over that.

They can figure it out pretty quick when OSX makes you log into Apples stuff online.

I've heard that if you setup a mac without any internet connection it won't make you do that. But otherwise, does it actually force you to register with Apple? Also, why would they care? It's not like your some company that's selling computers with OS X installed (NON-APPLE computers)...

[waldojim]

Evildave, on 22 October 2011 - 10:45 AM, said:

Or, you know, just buy a Mac.

They're not that expensive.

That all depends on how you view it...

There is no 'netbook' equivlent. Sadly, netbooks are about the easiest devices to hackintosh with. Not saying they actually compare to a Mac, only that the only Apple products that sell for $199 are phones, and ipods.

Quote

If you buy quality hardware, it will be a little more expensive, no matter what brand. The software investment makes the hardware laughably cheap in comparison, anyway.

fairly accurate. Premium gear is premium gear. The upside for Apple here, is that Apple devices can also run Windows. The best of both worlds.
[

[Evildave]

Linux can also run Windows, since I'd run windoze in a VM, either way.

'Parallels' is the way to go on OS X. They haven't gotten lazy and bloated and customer hostile, like VMWare. Run your windoze in a window, or run your windoze windows mixed with OS X windows pretty seamlessly. Parallels will finally run OS X in a virtual machine, BTW. I don't know whether the PC/Linux version will, but maybe it's worth a look.

I know VirtualBox had an OS X server host, but there were way too many hoops for me to jump through to bother making it work. Since Lion is 'server' by default though, they will probably have Lion compatibility that doesn't suck, sooner or later.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/
You can get into a Mac Mini for $599. Of course, like any other PC, when you start adding on, it gets more expensive. Curiously, they have keyboard and mouse as optional 'add ons'. Not that you have to buy these from Apple. Any old keyboard or mouse will do. But your keyboard may have a hideous windoze logo on a couple of the keys. A little patience and sandpaper, and you can draw the little loopy 'Command' and 'Alt' symbols on it in the right places, and configure the keys in the keyboard settings.

I don't see the point in running OS X without a network connection. At that point, you're just screwing around, and you're probably not going to use the OS for anything but showing how you can boot OS X, cuz you downloaded some stuff and followed a 'howto' on the 'net somewhere. Once again, Linux is more interesting for show 'n tell. The 3D desktops, Compiz, etc. Lots of nifty toys and eye candy.

[FTML]

I have an insanely small budget, so a hackintosh is my only option.

[Evildave]

And Linux (which is FREE, and has orders of magnitude MORE DRIVER SUPPORT) isn't an option... because?

http://www.ubuntu.com/
http://www.linuxmint.com/

This post has been edited by Evildave: 22 October 2011 - 03:52 PM

[FTML]

I already run multiple vms and a laptop with linux, i want to use xcode on mac.

[Evildave]

VirtualBox lists Mac OS X Server (Leopard, Snow Leopard)
https://www.virtualb...wiki/Guest_OSes

Detailed instructions...
http://www.sysprobs....4-working-sound

You may as well get Snow Leopard Server DVD (used $34) and run that in a VM, too.

It will ultimately be a lot less fickle than trying to get it to run on a particular kind of hardware, as an alternate boot mode. And once you have it set up, you should be able to copy it to other machines later on, like the other VMs.

[FTML]

I already know how to do that, its the legality that worries me.

[LiveBrianD]

I think OS X Server, now that I think about it, CAN legally be run in a virtual machine ON MAC HARDWARE, but not on a regular PC>

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 23 October 2011 - 10:07 AM, said:

I think OS X Server, now that I think about it, CAN legally be run in a virtual machine ON MAC HARDWARE, but not on a regular PC>

Again, there is NO LAW against it.

The question comes down to the EULA and weather or not a CIVIL court would uphold it.